♪ ♪ >> a solemn ceremony, time to mourn, but most of all a time to honor the men and women who put themselves in harm's way for our freedom. time now for "the situation room" and wolf blitzer. don, thanks very much. happening now, a deadly day of anti-u.s. rage across the muslim world. we're monitoring events that have u.s. security officials extremely concerned right now. president obama leads the mourners as the bodies of the u.s. ambassador and others killed in libya return to the united states. and mitt romney ramps up his criticism of the president again as the latest polls show him falling behind in several crucial states. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room."

but we begin with these live pictures. look at this. this is tahrir square in cairo. these are live pictures coming in not far from the united states embassy. once again, the protests escalating even as we speak. earlier in the day it had been relatively -- keyword, relatively, quiet. now seems to be escalating for some reason. our own ben wedeman is on the ground for us. we're going to be going to him shortly. at the same time as these scenes are unfolding, there also have been frightening scenes of violence and hatred directed at the united states and others around the region. it's spreading. and u.s. officials are very worried. sources tell me they're especially concerned about today's penetration of the united states embassy in tunisia and the reports that the american school was actually burned.

remember, the arab spring began with such great hope in tunisia. they're also deeply concerned because other western nations have become targets as well. today mobs in sudan attack the u.s., german and british embassies. and as we see in these live pictures happening in egypt, we see some running battles continuing now between demonstrators and police firing teargas even though egypt's powerful muslim brotherhood actually called off nationwide protests. militants also breached an international peace keeping base in egypt's northern sanai burning trucks and a wash tower. some 1,500 international peace keepers have been there since 1981 including 700 u.s. troops. they are there right now. some of them have been injured, we're told. this is extremely volatile and dangerous situation unfolding in sanai right now as well. our sources also say the u.s. is paying very close attention to

what's happening in gaza. reports -- reuters is reporting at least 30,000 palestinians burned u.s. flags and beat an effigy of president obama. as for security at u.s. embassies, a senior u.s. official is now telling cnn and i'm quoting "we are in a full court press." the official says security's in place at every single post in the middle east. and anywhere there's a chance of demonstrations. our foreign affairs reporter, elise labott, has been looking into this part of the story for us. elise, very worrisome. what's the latest as far as protecting american diplomats around the region? >> well, there's been a lot of talk, wolf, about protecting american diplomats and american facilities. in addition to making sure that the u.s. has all personnel it needs and working with the host governments in terms of providing extra security, extra barriers, things like that at the embassy. they're also very concerned about u.s. americans around the

world. and what the americans can do, they're urging all americans, wolf, to -- that are in the region, to log on to the state department website. they have a lot of travel information. that's travel.state.gov. we'll put that up on the screen for the viewers. to make sure they have the latest information to keep themselves safe, wolf. they're saying stay away from embassies right now. not so safe to be. keep a low profile. avoid these demonstrations where these crowds can get out of hand. and also might not be a good idea to frequent areas where westerners are in some countries, but every individual country's website has the latest security information for americans, wolf. >> have you heard any reports of actual evacuations, either of u.s. government personnel or private american citizens? >> well, we know that all u.s. personnel have been evacuated from benghazi, libya. and very small skeletal staffs in tripoli and also yemen. but the u.s. is also looking at other countries. we have ten countries that you just mentioned where there are u.s. protests.

clearly they're looking at sudan right now. right now they're not evacuating people. again, they're saying stay tuned. make sure you're registered with the embassy. right now everyone's relying on commercial travel to get out. the roads are open. everything's open, wolf. right now it's just seems to be localized just at these u.s. embassies and not kind of chaos spreading throughout the country. >> these are live pictures we're showing our viewers now from tahrir square in cairo. not very far from the u.s. embassy. you've been there, i've been there. it's only a few -- maybe a block away. but they have apparently established all sorts of barriers around the u.s. embassy. it's a huge embassy too. >> it's a huge embassy. it's like a complex, if you will. even as you have the setback in these reinforcements, they're asking the local government in the last couple of days they have a little bit of trouble with the government in terms of getting the security needed, but now they say that the government is reinforcing the roads, closing roads, things like that.

>> these are once again live pictures we're showing our viewers from cairo. e lisz, i know you're reporting on this. standby. we'll get back to you. the unrest also has been growing since tuesday when outrage over a crude video mocking the prophet muhammad and a deadly attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi, libya. arwa damon is where it all started in benghazi. what's the latest, arwa? what's going on? >> reporter: well, at this point in time the situation in benghazi is incredibly tense. everyone who we've been speaking to really expressing their outrage, their horror at what took place. but also demanding that the libyan government take concrete action to try to bring about an end to these armed militias effectively that operate with pretty much complete and total immunity. we were touring the site of the consulate earlier today. and there we saw the country's president, the head of the

national council -- congress, rather. he was saying at this point in time the government doesn't necessarily have the capabilities to reign these individuals or militias in. and this is of course of growing concern for the population and all the international observers. if the current libyan government is not capable of taking these weapons off the streets, of controlling these extremist groups, one can only imagine what the future of this country is going to end up being, wolf. >> and we're showing, arwa, video that you and your team has sent us. these are pictures from inside what was the united states consulate in benghazi that was attacked. it's pretty devastating when you see it described. you walk through what's left of this diplomatic mission. walk us through what you saw. >> reporter: you know, wolf, it was very much like walking through a scene of a horror movie to a certain degree. there's debris all over the place. a number of the buildings have been burned to walls are

scorched. you find bits and pieces of lives that once were. there were boxes of made-ready eat meals that had been discarded and bits and pieces of paper, some notes. the location had been looted following the assault that took place. it wasn't secured by libyan security forces and it was very much a free-for-all. not a lot left behind. quite surprisingly the location wasn't very secure. not like this were being a crime scene it would have been completely locked off. the government is asking for help from the united states, from the international community when it comes to figure out exactly what transpired but more importantly trying to prevent this from taking place in the future. we stood inside. room where we believe the ambassador died. and that was just an utterly hair raising experience along some of the walls. not necessarily in that particular room, but some of the other walls there were bloodstains.

there was a partial hand print on one of them. so it most certainly is yet another one of the horrific aftermaths that one walks through and can't help but to be disgusted by what transpired and also horrified by what those moments must have been like. >> i understand, arwa, that there were actually two scenes of anti-u.s. violence at what was the consulate. but also what was being described as a safehouse. do your sources on the ground have good insight into how those two american navy seals there with the ambassador were killed and where they were actually killed? >> reporter: we're still really just beginning to piece this all together. i did however speak with the spokesman for one of the battalions here. you had the initial assault on the consulate. it seems when the first rocket propelled grenade impacted, the lights all went out. there was smoke billowing. it seems as if somehow the

ambassador and perhaps some others were separated from the main group. now, after the sustained gun battle members of the 17th -- brigade, a libyan brigade, was able to evacuate them to a safe house. this is where it gets disturbing. someone saying there must have been insider information, a leak somewhere. because when the rescue team finally arrived from tripoli, numbering we are told seven to eight security personnel, the minute they arrived on scene of the so-called safe house, they were attacked. it was a very intense, quick hit-and-run attack. but it is very disturbing that these two attacks happened one after the other, especially since the second took place at what should have been a safe house. exactly where those security personnel were killed. we're still trying to piece all of that together. one individual who we were speaking to say that when they initially arrived at the safe house following this brief clash

and intense clash that took place, they were able to recover the embassy personnel and two of the bodies initially killed. they later on found the ambassador's body according to eyewitnesses and sources here at the hospital. but there's still a lot of gaps, wolf. and a lot of -- at this point in time. not just questions for the libyan government. why, for example, were forces not responding to the initial attack? but questions for the u.s. as well. did america perhaps underestimate the level of threat that existed here. when it comes to the libyans, they fully believe this was a pre-planned assault intended to wreck maximum damage, damage the relationship between libya and the united states, wolf. >> do they believe it was a coincidence or deliberate that it occurred on the eleventh anniversary of 9/11? >> reporter: those officials we have spoken to, in fact the country's president himself, does say that he firmly 100%

believes that they were timed to take place on 9/11, wolf. >> and there are still elements as mike rogers, the chairman of the house intelligence committee told me this week, there are still elements, pockets of al qaeda terrorists roaming around not only libya but tunisia as well. and that's a very worrisome development. what are you hearing about that? >> reporter: there are a number of extremist groups that operate inside libya. a lot of them really operating out of the east. i have heard it described as them having their bases of operation, their training camps in the eastern decembserts. but they do tend to carry out attacks in benghazi. this attack on the consulate is not an isolated incident. there have been attacks on western interests in this city in the last few months. there was an attack on the british ambassador's convoy. a number of other isolated

incidents. some of these groups are affiliated with al qaeda, others are not. but the thing of great concern here, wolf, is the amount of impuni impunity, the way they can operate and carry out attacks with such devastating and horrific consequences and have a government in place that admits that it is not capable of reigning them in. the great concern, and this is coming from some of the military commanders here is that they're absolutely terrified of the security situation as it currently exists. not to mention how fearful they are of how the situation may in fact deteriorate. >> arwa, i want you and our entire team to be very, very careful over there. security, security, security, obviously comes first. but we will touch back with you shortly. arwa damon is on the ground in benghazi for us where those four americans including the u.s. ambassador and two navy seals were killed on the eleventh anniversary of 9/11. meanwhile, even as we speak

right now i want to show you live pictures from cairo's tahrir square. only about 300 yards or so from the u.s. embassy, a huge u.s. embassy. the protests escalating there. you can see what's going on. this is -- these are live pictures. we're going to cairo when we come back. friday night has alws been all fun and games here at the hutchison household. but one dark stormy evening... she needed a good meal and a good family. so we gave her purina cat chow complete. it's the best because it has something for all of our cats! and after a couple of weeks she was part of the family. we're so lucky that lucy picked us. [ female announcer ] purina cat chow complete. and for a delicious way to help maintain a healthy weight, try new purina cat chow healthy weight.

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and before you reduce or stop cymbalta. dizziness or fainting may occur upon standing. ask your doctor about cymbalta. imagine you with less pain. cymbalta can help. go to cymbalta.com to learn about a free trial offer. all of a sudden the violence has escalated in tahrir square in cairo. we're going to show you these live pictures of what's going on right now. ben wedeman is standing by. he's very, very close. ben, it was a relatively quiet day. all of a sudden the last 15, 20 minutes we see an escalation in these pictures. obviously pretty intense. what are you hearing? it looks like a real clash between these demonstrators and authorities. >> reporter: yeah. we're right on the street right above the street that's right around the corner from the u.s. embassy. and what we've seen is that the protesters have basically tried

to block the main road along this side of the nile. and it's really a back and forth fight between those protesters and the security forces. but it has been a pretty intense day of clashes although surprisingly unlike previous times when there were clashes in and around tahrir nobody since tuesday evening has been killed. what is -- some more possibly important news coming out of this sanai, wolf, monitors the israeli/egyptian peace treaty, one of their bases housing about 1,500 soldiers and officers has come under attack this afternoon by what according to egyptian security sources say are islamist militants who attacked that base with heavy weapons, with machine guns and rpgs.

they say at least two of the members of the multinational force have been injured, that some of the facilities -- one of the towers was set on fire. and we are told that assault is ongoing, wolf. >> yeah. i've been worried about those multinational force troops. there are about 750 american soldier who is are part of that unit in sanai. they've been there as you point out since 1981 when the peace treaty between israel and egypt was implemented. they have relatively modest security out there. and this has been escalating the tensions in sanai as you well know. let's see what they do. let's see if they start evacuating them or beef up their security in sanai right now. once again, 1,500 observers, half of whom are u.s. soldiers. so we're worried about them as well. how close are these demonstrators now? it seems pretty violent, ben, to the u.s. embassy? i know there's better security than there was only a few days ago when they actually got inside and started burning

american flags. >> reporter: well, this morning, wolf, the egyptian security forces erected a concrete barrier with concrete blocks on the road really just about 100 yards from the american embassy. and the protesters are right on the other side of that. and we watched as they were lobbing rocks over that barrier. and they were using street signs or poles they'd ripped up from the streets trying to dismantle that barrier. they have not succeeded, but they are in fact very close. but what we have seen over the last 24 hours is that the security forces are pretty determined to keep those protesters away from the embassy. trying to prevent a repeat of the breach that happened on tuesday night. but surprisingly what we haven't seen is a real effort to drive the protesters completely out of this part of town. as i said, nobody's been killed

in these clashes yet. so it appears that the police, the riot police, are under some sort of orders to use not too much force to keep these protests under control. just to keep them under control. but not really to push them out of this area. wolf. >> these are live pictures we're showing our viewers from tahrir square. all right, ben. we'll get back to you. thanks very much. ben wedeman is on the ground for us in cairo. president obama and secretary of state hillary clinton spoke at a very moving ceremony as the bodies of the united states ambassador and three others killed in libya were returned to the united states. that's coming up. [ male announcer ] now you can swipe... scroll... tap... pinch... and zoom... in your car. introducing the all-new cadillac xts with cue. ♪ don't worry. we haven't forgotten, you still like things to push.

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president obama, vice president biden, secretary of state hillary clinton, they were all on hand this afternoon as the bodies of the u.s. diplomats and security officials killed in libya arrived back in the united states. it was a very somber, moving memorial ceremony. our white house correspondent dan lothian is joining us. dan, this wrapped up just a little while ago. tell our viewers who missed it what happened. >> reporter: well, what you saw, wolf, from the president and other u.s. officials is filling in a little more on the people behind those names. one, a father of three. another a career diplomat. another one who enjoyed living on the edge. what they all had in common though, said the president, is that they believed in their mission, they knew the danger and they accepted it. in the same week that americans remembered the pain of 9/11, another somber moment. a transfer of remains ceremony at joint base andrews as the

bodies of four americans killed in libya came home. >> four americans, four patriots, they loved this country. and they chose to serve it. and served it well. they had a mission. and they believed in it. they knew the danger. and they accepted it. they didn't simply embrace the american ideal, they lived it. they embodied it. >> reporter: they are ambassador chris stevens, tyrone woods, a former navy seal who handles security for diplomats along with fellow former navy seal glenn doherty. and computer expert, sean smith. >> we have seen rage and violence directed at american embassies over an awful internet video that we had nothing to do with. it is hard for the american

people to make sense of that because it is senseless. and it is totally unacceptable. the people of egypt, libya, yemen and tunisia did not trade the tyranny of a dictator for the tyranny of a mob. >> reporter: now secretary clinton said that the leaders in the region need to work to restore security. in addition, they need to bring those responsible for the violence, they need to be held accountable. and she also vowed that the u.s. would continue to do whatever it could to keep u.s. personnel around the world safe. wolf. >> very moving ceremony indeed, dan, thanks very much. mitt romney turned up his criticism of president obama's international policies once again today. stay with us. jack, you're a little boring.

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these are live pictures coming to us from cairo right now. tahrir square, only 200 yards from a beefed up u.s. embassy in cairo. u.s. security obviously very, very intense. but it looks like the demonstrations of violence in cairo escalating right now. we're all over this. we'll go back there soon. mitt romney meanwhile seemed to be covering all the bases at once today. he and his campaign got tougher in their criticism of president obama. but romney also showed a much

softer side as well. let's bring in our national political correspondent jim acosta. jim, so what's with the mixed messages? what's going on? >> reporter: wolf, aides to mitt romney say he watched those slain diplomats, their bodies arriving at andrews air force base on television here in ohio before he paid tribute to them at a rally earlier this afternoon. and that moment, i have to tell you, wolf, stood out on a day marked by both the tough and light hearted talk. at a rally in ohio, mitt romney set aside his attacks on president obama's foreign policy to remember the u.s. ambassador and three americans who lost their lives in libya. >> i'd ask that you might each place your hand over your heart in recognition of the bloodshed for freedom by them and our other sons and daughters who have lost their lives in the cause of america and the cause of liberty. and if we'll take a moment of silence together. >> reporter: the moment of silence was only a brief pause in his campaign sharpened

rhetoric. earlier in the day running mate paul ryan suggested the president was showing a weakness on the world stage that invited the diplomatic attacks. >> they are extremists who operate by violence and intimidation. and the least equivocation or mixed signal only makes them bolder. >> reporter: on cnn a senior campaign advisor claims the violence would have been prevented under a president romney saying he would have been more engaged in the arab spring. >> so we would be partners in this evolution, not running behind and not seen as part of that. i think that changes the dynamic. and so, yes, there would be a difference. >> reporter: at a new york fundraiser, romney slammed the president for not planning to meet with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu at the start of the united nations assembly next week. it sends a message not just to israel but throughout the middle east. and in some respects it's a confusing message. the rhetorical jabs came as the president paid tribute to the slain diplomats as their bodies

arrived at andrews air force base. despite his campaign, serious posture, romney and his wife took time to make some light hearted comments to daytime talk show host kelly rippa in an interview slated to air next week. he weighed in on reality show "jersey shore" i'm a snooki fan. she's lost weight. she's energetic. just spark-plug personality is kind of fun. and walked in on george w. bush getting a massage. and when asked what he wears to bed, the gop nominee disclosed as little as possible. the romney campaign is signaling all this tough talk on foreign policy is only the beginning and some polls show he's falling behind in key battleground states like this one we're in right now in ohio is one senior romney advisor put it to me earlier this week, wolf, it's a good thing elections aren't held right aft conventions. wolf. >> good thing indeed. right now we're watching these

final few weeks. the clock is obviously ticking. jim, thanks very much. and as jim just noticed, some new polls are giving the romney campaign plenty to worry about. our chief national correspondent john king is at the magic wall taking a closer look at the numbers. john, the numbers can change. but right now not so good for the romney campaign. >> we're about to head into the final seven weeks of this campaign. the president pulling a little ahead after his convention. a half dozen polls from the battleground states this week. we'll walk through them. very close race, very competitive. still within reach for governor romney, but advantage to president obama you'd have to say. this one among the closest. colorado. it's within the margin of error, a statistical tie, but a slight advantage for the president in the state of colorado out west. now we move to the midwest. this one we thought we might call battleground, but i think we can maybe take it off the list. we'll poll here next week, but a new poll shows michigan, the state where mitt romney's dad was governor, where mitt romney was born, a 10-point lead for president obama there.

the auto bailout a factor there. those numbers probably the reason republican super pacs have stopped advertising in the state of michigan. the always key battleground state of ohio a mixed message from two polls out. one an american research group poll shows a dead heat. 48, 47. nbc "the wall street journal" poll shows the president with a 7-point lead. republicans say they don't like this poll. too many democrats in the sample. in any event, the president appears to have a slight lead in the state of ohio as well. new hampshire, a small state but battleground state, look at this, five-point lead for the president. wmur granite state poll. five-point lead. as we move down the eastern seaboard we come to the state of virginia. state the president carried last time a. must-win state for mitt romney this time. a five-point lead for the president. going to sound like a broken record. come down to battleground florida one more time. this is nbc "the wall street journal" a five-point lead for the president. all these battleground states

competitive. however, when you look at them you see in the national polls and the backgrounds the president appears to be a little ahead and underscores for you that governor romney is playing from behind heading into the final stretch. >> just want to be clear, john, all these polls were taken before the recent violence that developed in north africa and the middle east. i don't know if we can factor in that. i don't know if that will have an impact one way or another. but i do know and i'm sure you do as well, a lot of republicans are getting a little worried right now. so what does the romney camp ed to do tt.it hown w play out. we'll watch that play out. we'll watch the poll the romney campaign hopes it brings the president's numbers down. as we wait for that, here's the map. 237 electoral college votes strong or leaning president obama's way. 191 for romney. simple math, 270 to win. the president has the easier path to 270 because he starts closer.

we went through the state battleground polls. what would happen if the president won just florida? he was ahead there. if the president wins florida, that puts him on the doorstep, wolf. if nothing else, get him to 266. any one other state would do it for him. what if the president won florida and ohio? well, that would be game over if nothing else changed. that would put the president over the top right there. you see the challenge for governor romney. they're the biggest battleground prizes. governor romney has to win florida. hypothetically he does get florida, he needs ohio as well. if you keep ohio in the president's camp, he's at 255. he'd need only 15 more and have eight states to do it with. if you look at the math going in, when you're behind even just a little bit in so many battleground states, if it were just five points in florida, you would campaign there a lot. just four points in colorado or one point, go in there with resources and campaign. when you have five or six and need to change the math, he needs a national shift in the dynamic. that means he needs, wolf, very strong debate performances and perhaps he also needs bad economic news in october and

november as well. >> yeah. he needs something right now. see what he gets. thanks very much, john. back to the lead story right now. happening in cairo at tahrir square. looks like it's heetding up over there. had been at least a few hours ago relatively calm. now police are engaged with teargas, they're dealing with protesters there. we're going there when we come back. also, the "new york times" columnist nick kristof as a lot of our viewers will remember he was in tahrir square when the egypt revolution broke out. now anger boiling over once again for very different reasons. this is the live picture that we've been talking about. you're going to find out why nick says egypt's new president in his words blew it and jeopardized egypt's relations with washington. there are a lot of warning lights

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let's get to more now on the turmoil in egypt and throughout the middle east. the "new york times" columnist nicholas kristof is joining us. nic, thanks very much for coming in. all of us remember you were in tahrir square when that revolution was going down. if somebody would have said to you at that time that this arab spring would result in what we're seeing over these past few days breaking into the u.s. embassy, tearing down flags, murdering american diplomats, you wouldn't have believed it, would you? >> well, actually, i don't know about that. i mean, i think when democracy

comes, you get this kind of turbulence. i remember i covered south korea after democracy arrived there. and then as well the american flag was burned in the main square in seoul. there's a lot of anti-americanism in a good deal of the world. and when people have more power, they unfortunately express it in some really unhappy ways. >> yeah. i had very high expectations, obviously, that were unrealistic. but that was just my hope more than my estimate at the time. what do you think of the initial reaction of the democratic government. >> president morsi blew it. he blew it badly. i don't think it's fair to hold actions of a few hundred crazy protesters against the country of egypt. it is fair to hold the actions of president morsi against egypt. and he went awol. he was every bit as missing from action as the new chinese lea r

leader. he's been called on account. subsequently he's behaved much better. he blew it. he jeopardized american relations. he jeopardized american investment in egypt. it was really a major screw up. >> it was a major screw up. but it took a phone call from president obama to president mohamed morsi to turn things around a bit. but you know, public attitudes here in the united states especially on capitol hill, listen to peter king, he's the chairman of the house homeland security committee speaking about the u.s. aid that still continues to egypt right now. >> egypt is not acting like an ally. and if it does not act like an ally, it should not continue to get over a billion dollars in military aid. >> you know there's going to be pressure to suspend that u.s. military and economic assistance to egypt. what do you make of that? >> well, actually i think at the end of the day it's unlikely to

be suspended and that those threats and that kind of rhetoric may actually get some leverage to the white house to get president morsi, you know, back in the game. indeed, i think president morsi did get that message. the irony is that until recently he had been pretty pragmatic and had behaved pretty well. in this case he just blew it dramatically. since then and more recently he's behaving much better. so i hope that was just an aberration and he's learning on the job. >> i spoke to david ignatius,co post," someoneounow and admire as i do. >> very much so. >> he suggested thataybe conservative shall we sa as the muslim brotherhood-led govement right now, there are sol fists even more extreme out there and would like nothing more than to undermine president morsi and his government. and they actually may have played a very significant role in trying to go into the u.s. embassy. have you heard that as well? >> yeah. i think that's exactly right. i think it's true not only in

egypt, but i think there was a similar dynamic in libya, in sudan. and we made to system degree pawns of this. you feel them feel they played a major role, took huge risks in these democratic revolutions. and they see this as a chance to gain public support, to embarrass their governments. and there's kind of a competition between the -- well, in egypt between the morsi government and the salafis. and the attack on u.s. embassy is part of the drama. but it's less about us than that competition between morsi and the salafis i would argue. >> this anti-islamic film out there on the internet. how much of that is responsible for the anti-u.s. violence? or is that just an excuse? >> well, i think it's both. i mean, i think if you talk to

an awful lot of just ordinary muslims around the world, there's real indignation about it. it just hit every button possible. and i think a lot of people who didn't grow up in a free society assume that the u.s. government is somehow behind it or condoning it. and so there's that backdrop. and then i think on top of that then you have extremists who take advantage of that and inflame it and seize upon it to embarrass and attack their own governments. >> you want to venture a prediction where the region will be a year from now? let me repeat the question. >> i'm sorry. >> nick, do you venture a prediction where the region will be a year from now? >> i think it's going to continue to be messy. i don't think it's going to be a complete rupture. yemen might be a little more extreme. but in a country that really matters the most, egypt, and

even for libya as well, i think it is going to continue to muddle along. i don't think the american embassy in egypt is going to be seized the way it was in iran. but you look at eastern europe after 1989. countries like romania were a mess for years. indonesia after 1997-1998, that was a mess for years as well. it takes a lot of time to restabilize these countries. >> nick kristof of the "new york times," as usual, thanks very much. >> my pleasure. >> some would-be robbers tried to smash their way into an apple store with a bmw. you're going to find out how police nabbed them. that's next. or makes another sale, or hires another employee, it's not just good for business. it's good for the entire community. at bank of america, we know the impact that local businesses have on communities. that's why we've extended over $4 billion in new credit

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here's some good news. chicago teachers could end their rike very soon. lisa sylvester's monitoring that, some other top stories in "the situation room" right now. what's the latest? >> wolf, i think that's news the parents have been waiting to hear. a source with detailed knowledge of negotiations tells cnn the school board and striking teachers have reached a tentative deal. they hope to have a new contract proposal by sunday and schools back open as soon as monday. 350,000 public school students have been shut out of the classroom for five days now. union delegates have to sign-off on the new deal though before it is finalized. and u.s. stocks end in gains for the second straight week. the dow jones rose nearly 54 points adding about 2% for the week. the dow and s&p 500, they are now at the highest point since the end of 2007. this all comes after the federal reserve announced another round of stimulus to spur the economy. and check out this scene inside an apple store in california. take a look at these pictures.

some robbers drove a bmw straight into the front of the store. they loaded up a bunch of iphones and ipads and then they try to back out. well, you can see there not so easy. they got stuck in the security gate. eventually they rammed their way out, but they left the license plate behind. and when the driver came back for it, police were waiting and arrested him. not a good thing to do, especially when they come back for that license plate, wolf. >> should get a job, make some money, go buy an iphone and then you don't have to go to jail. now these people are going to jail for a while, as they should. >> not very bright though. i think that's our not very bright story, wolf. >> very stupid. meanwhile, anger at the united states is exploding across the middle east right now. the latest flash point, egypt's volatile sanai region. protesters stormed an international peace keeping base where 750 american troops are located. and a controversial big soda ban will soon go into effect in new york city.

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what's your policy? new york city's ban of sodas at the movies and even streetcar attendants enf attendants attendants infuriated. he just spoke to san ja gupt >> we've been reporting on this for some time. was it a personal story for you? did you have issues either with the chronic effects of obesity in your own family, yourself? >> no. but i can tell you and i think i

speak for almost everybody, if it's in front of me, i eat it. i love cheez-its. if you put a two-pound bowl or box in front of me, i'd probably eat them all. but if you eat anything in moderation, there's no harm. almost anything. so if you put a small bowl of cheez-its in front of me, that's fine. we all do the same thing. all we're trying to do with full sugar drinks is to have a smaller portion in front of you. if you want to take another portion, you can. nobody's banning you from doing that. you can buy it -- as a matter of fact you can buy two 16-ounce cups or four 16-ounce cups any time you want and take them all back to your seat or your table. >> when you were sitting down with your team and thinking about the future at the beginning again of all this, what was the biggest obstacle to getting this done that you envisioned? >> well, i actually think this is relatively simple. i think when people think back on what happened with smoking,

smoking was very controversial to ban it in public places. but if you go around now and say, well, who was against the smoking ban back then? you can't find anybody. everybody remembers that they were for it. the big difference between smoking and obesity is that if you smoke and i'm in the same room, i get hurt. if you and i are in the same room and you're obese, i don't get hurt short-term. but i do have to eventually pay your medical bills because that's actually what happens. >> you can see more of mayor bloomberg's exclusive interview with sanjay gupta. that will air 4:30 p.m. eastern saturday, sunday 7:30 a.m. eastern. and you're in "the situation room." happening now, the u.s. embassies under siege, other symbols of america ransacked and burned. u.n. peace keepers attacked. we're covering it as only cnn can. fresh debate over whether the

deadly attack on the u.s. consulate in libya was planned or not. more than a decade after the 9/11 attacks, are u.s. intelligence agencies still unable to get on the same page? and the bodies of a u.s. ambassador, three other americans killed in libya are returned home. we're learning more about those who gave their lives for our country. we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." anti-american anger is boiling over today across the middle east and beyond. outrage by the anti-muslim film made in the united states, crowds took to the streets in numerous countries. aware that protests were planned for friday, the muslim holiday,

the united states boosted security at all -- every single one of its diplomatic posts. but that didn't stop a mob from storming the u.s. embassy in tunisia. that's the birthplace of the arab spring. they burned cars, took down the united states flag and raised their own banner. on the phone joining us right now from tunis is reporter zihad -- >> reporter: basically serious warnings following what happened in libya. and everybody knew and we saw some organizing on facebook about also protest that were supposed to be peaceful. that basically be heading to the u.s. embassy. right after friday pray things got a bit more complicated. thousands of people headed to the u.s. embassy in tunis.

the roads blocked set up by the tunisia security forces. the security forces tried to handle the situation. at some point they used sticks and then they used teargas. and then the mob became more and more violent and throwing rocks and trying to climb the embassy walls. after intense use of teargas, even the use of live ammunition shot in the air mostly, we could see that the mob succeeded in climbing the walls of the embassy and go into the garden. and pretty much destroying a lot of property damage at the u.s. embassy. we counted 68 cars and two -- plus a bunch of recreational

buildings that were burned. and we could also see a lot of windows smashed. and the crowd actually managed to occupy the ground around the main building of the embassy although they did not manage to get in there. >> this is the birthplace of the arab spring in tunis. we're going to get back to you. i know the american school there was basically attacked as well today. but i want to go to cairo right now. ben wedeman is joining us. ben, it looks like the -- there's an intensive fight going on in tahrir square. that's where you are right now. teargas, we see shots being fired. what's the latest? >> reporter: actually we're closer to the american embassy sort of between the american embassy and tahrir square. what i'm seeing right below me now is there's yet another standoff between the security forces who have been firing a lot of teargas and the

demonstrators who were closer to the american embassy. this morning the security forces erected a concrete barrier on the main road leading to the embassy. but that really just dispersed the protesters around there trying to outflank the security forces to get to the embassy. as yet they have not succeeded however. wolf. >> but the egyptian, the military, the police forces, i assume there are huge numbers there dealing with these demonstr is that right? >> reporter: well, unlike previous incidents, the army has not been involved. it is merely the police and riot police. there appear to be quite a lot. most of them seem to be around the embassy itself not directly involved or engaged in these clashes. and they seem to be using less force than we've seen in the

past. these demonstrations have been going on pretty much around the clock since tuesday evening when that initial demonstration resulted in the breaching of the american embassy. but until now, no one has actually been killed. several hundred have been wounded. most of them basically from inhalation of this fairly intense teargas, wolf. >> yeah. we're hearing the shots being fired right now. i assume the teargas canisters. ben, tell me about the disconnect. we've spoke about this before. between what the egyptian authorities, the egyptian government is saying in english to the outside world and what they're saying in arabic to their own people? we know you're fluent in arabic. >> reporter: well, it's not so much the egyptian government as the muslim brotherhood of course of which mohamed morsi, the president is a member. we've seen, for instance, in the "new york times," a letter

published from the number two in the muslim brotherhood which expressed regret over the killing of the american ambassador in libya, calling for an investigation into the breaching of the american embassy here in cairo. but when you go to the website, the arabic website, it's a much different tone. initially they were in fact praising the protesters o breached the american embassy. today i was at a demonstration that seemed to be organized by the muslim brotherhood. and that's where you see sort of the rank and file members and supporters of the brotherhood. and the rhetoric was hardly conciliatory. they were saying that the united states, for instance, is the patron of terrorism. they were condemning israel, the united states as basically one entity. and they were also sang obama, obama, there are still one million osamas.

of course osama bin laden. there's a huge gap between what you hear in english and in fact what they are saying among themselves, which is a much harder line and one that isn't really much different from what you hear among these protesters in the street below me. >> and those shots that we're hearing, is that teargas? are those shots being fired in the air? what's going on? >> reporter: yeah. that's basically teargas. unlike previous incidents, there hasn't been a lot of use of rubber bullets. and as far as i can tell no use of live ammunition. it's basically teargas. the streets are strewn with hundreds of canisters. excuse me. that have been fired throughout the day, wolf. >> ben wedeman's got a tough job. we'll stay in very close touch with you. thank you, ben. thanks very much. meanwhile, in egypt's northern nigh, extremists armed

attack a base where united states soldiers were wounded. we don't know the nationality of the troops. let's go to our correspondent chris lawrence. the u.s. has about 700 -- 750 soldiers in sanai. they've been there since 1981. they're suppose today monitor the israeli/egyptian peace treaty. all of a sudden they too now are under attack. >> that's right, wolf. it really presents a problem because this force is not configured as a strike force. they are there to monitor by land, sea and air that border between israel and egypt. act as sort of a buffer between the two nations and diffuse any situations or bring them to the attention of the two governments before things get out of hand. what we have learned since the overthrow of the hosni mubarak regime, egypt as a nation has been so concentrated on getting

a hold of cairo and figuring out it's governmensinai to its own devices, so to speak. and there's been a rising spike of islamic militants setting up camp there along the border trying to launch attacks into israel. and so a lot of these troops, again hundreds of u.s. peacekeepers part of that plan have been sort of caught in the middle. and, again, this force is really not configured as a strike force, wolf. >> i've been very worried about them over the past several weeks since the violence in sinai escalated. is there any effort now? is the u.s. military, the pentagon, planning on either evacuating, withdrawing these observers as they are called? or beefing up their security? >> perhaps beefing up would be more likely, wolf. i haven't heard any talk from the folks i've spoken to here at the pentagon about withdrawing troops. again, this border is so important to the security of the region. and in fact one of the columbia

understands that the mission is vitally important. today obviously the base being breached, a watchtower being burned to the ground, shows the rising security picture there is in deep trouble. but, again, you've got to keep in mind that border between egypt and israel has all sorts of ramifications around the middle east. >> yeah. that peace treaty was signed in 1979. and it's been quiet until recently. and obviously we want to keep it quiet. one of the reasons it's been quiet is because of that international peace keeping presence there, that multinational foe and observers as it's called. chris, letknow if you hear anything else. we'll stay in close touch with > elsewhere in t region, in lebanon, a different symbol of america was targeted in the northern city of tripoli. hundref rs attacked and burned a pair of u.s.-based fast food restaurants. at least one person was killed in the clash.

cnn's mohammad jamjoon is in lebanon. >> reporter: order has now been restored in tripoli, but it was a far more violent scene this afternoon when there were about 300 angry demonstrators marching through the streets of tripoli. they were yelling anti-american sentiment calling for the removal of the american ambassador to lebanon. and about 40 or so of those demonstrators broke away. many of them were armed. they found a kfc and hardee's restaurant, a symbol of america there in tripoli, they stormed those restaurants, set fire to them. internal security forces arrived at the scene. they started shooting at the armed demonstrators. as a result one of those demonstrators was killed. many people were injured. this is a very worrying development. but it's not particularly surprising because in tripoli you have a large part of that

population that is ultraconservative sunni muslim. so we were wondering if this sort of anger directed at america because this film the past few days would show up in lebanon. and this would be the natural place where it would show up if it were to happen. today it happened. now the concerns are, will it happen again tomorrow? we'll be following those developments the next several hours, wolf. >> i know you will. mohammad, pope benedict xvi is there. we're looking at pictures of his arrival. >> reporter: wolf, you couldn't have found a more striking position of what's going on here today in lebanon. the pope arrived earlier today in beirut. he's being welcomed with open arms by members of the muslim community, the christian community here in lebanon. he says he has come as a messenger of peace at a

particularly precarious time. many people wondered if this visit would go ahead considering the tensions in the region, especially the brutal civil war that's going on in neighboring syria. but the pope was committed to this trip. he showed up today. security has definitely been beefed up by the lebanese. he will travel to different cities over the course of the next three days. he says he wants to stress unity, not just amongst christians here but also wants to stress the importance of the peace between muslims and christians in lebanon. wolf. >> mohammad jamjoon, thanks very much for that report. the fbi and department of homeland security are warning that the middle east violence could hit the united states. and there's some unexpected fallout from that warning. standby. and was the attack that killed four americans in libya planned in advance? depends on which official you ask. ♪ [ acoustic guitar: upbeat ] [ dog ] we found it together. on a walk, walk, walk. love to walk. yeah, we found that wonderful thing. and you smiled. and threw it.

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protests spur around the world. did they have a hint the trouble was looming? joining us now cnn intelligence correspondent suzanne kelly working this story for us. suzanne, you have new information on what u.s. intelligence may have known in advance of what was going on? >> yeah. what we do know is some 48 hours before the attack in benghazi, an intelligence cable was sent to the embassy in cairo warning that the film was out there, this anti-muslim film that you've seen, was out there on the internet, that it was circulating and that they'd seen an increase in the traffic that was visiting this. so they'd actually sent the warning to cairo. that was then shared with the r region. but there was no specific threat that tied what happened to this film. there was nothing that they could see coming that indicated that there would be an attack like the one we saw in benghazi that came out of the protest, wolf. >> the suggestion being maybe this warning should have resulted automatically in a beefing up of security. is that the implication that

you're getting? >> well, i think it's very fair to say that when you see something like this and you realize how these images of the prophet muhammad and how it was used, that would be safe to say that's your instinct. however, that wasn't the priority when this cable was sent. i think they were in the process of still assessing what they needed to do with it. and also the language that's come out about whether or not this was planned is another interesting thing to look at. >> we're getting conflicting information. some u.s. officials are suggesting it was a planned operation, the operation in benghazi at the u.s. consulate there. others are saying no evidence of that. what are you hearing? >> i'm hearing everything all over the place. and i thought kind of in the days after the attack that as more intelligence came in that might kind of be tapped down a little bit and we'd see everybody falling into one story with what had happened. that hasn't been the case. take a listen to what just happened today. >> you know, we have no information to suggest that it was a pre-planned attack. >> this was a calculated act of

terror on the part of a small group of jihadists. >> in the beginning we feel that it was spontaneous, the protest, because it went on for two or three hours, which is very relevant. if it was something that was planned, then they could have come and attacked right away. >> they were a well-planned and professional terrorist act against the u.s. consulate in benghazi. >> so here's what i think happened, wolf. you've got a lot of opinion, a lot of speculation. if you look at the fact they knew there were well-equipped groups already in the area, they knew they had al qaeda sympathies and we knew this film was being circulated, those are the things that led people to believe they may have planned this attack. however, a lot of that is their opinion. the intelligence community continues to insist there was no actionable intelligence. so that means actually they didn't have anything that they knew was coming that they could act on. that doesn't necessarily mean that this group didn't get together and say, you know, here's an opportunity.

let's take it. is that a plan? then that was planned. >> they've got to do a complete review by recommendation, get a commission, not necessarily as huge as the 9/11 commission, but get some outside experts, let them review all the evidence and learn lessons from this. not to criminate or blame people necessarily but to make sure it doesn't happen. >> keep it from happening again, exactly. >> there's lessons to be learned. >> exactly. >> suzanne kelly for that report. so could the anti-american violence sweeping across the muslim world right now spell trouble not only around the world but even here in the united states? there's a new bulletin that has come out from federal authorities. our crime and justice correspondent, joe johns, is here. he's working this part of the story. i read that bulletin. tell our viewers what they're saying. >> well, wolf, this is the could it happen in the united states question. a lot of people we've talked to said there's obviously a different dynamic at work here than in parts of the mideast mainly because people in the u.s. tend to believe government doesn't control content of video and film like the anti-islamic

program that's being blamed for the protests. but we've still got this ominous sounding warning from the feds suggesting trouble here isn't out of the question. and tonight we're parsing what that really means. as protests spread in the middle east and beyond, this joint intelligence bulletin from homeland security and the fbi basically describes worst case scenarios here at home. the memo reads, the risk of violence could increase both at home and abroad as the film continues to gain attention. additionally we judge that violent extremist groups in the united states could exploit anger over the film to advance their recruitment efforts. abraham hooper, from the council on american islamic relation is concerns that the bulletin could be use today treat muslims unfairly even though the language of the memo is measured. >> obviously you can take that away from a bulletin like this if you had the stereotype of

muslims being prone to violence, that kind of thing. we're seeing those kinds of stereotypes reinforced. >> reporter: hooper acknowledges that the report is not intended to target muslims, which former fbi assistant director tom fun at the sce funtes. >> that warning, it actually warns muslims as well. >> reporter: but he even questions the use of such bulletin. >> strictly a cia cover your backside. in case something happens, somewhere, somehow, they have the next commission of why weren't we warned, they can say well, we warned you. >> reporter: he says they don't usually contain what's called actionable intelligence, specifics about an upcoming crime or plot. >> there's no real actionable intelligence they know of. so if the fbi or authorities were aware of a specific attack in a specific facility by a specific group, they'd get them. they'd stop it. >> we should say this type of advisory is not intended to go

public. it's meant for state and local law enforcement. but often finds its way into the hands of the news media, us. an fbi official told cnn we routinely provide information about ongoing incidents to partners for situational awareness. so they just want them to know what could happen, wolf. >> covering their bases to a certain degree. want to make sure people are alert to theotential for problems. >> because you never know. >> obviously. thanks very much. so why did a warning go out to u.s. diplomats in egypt but not to u.s. diplomats in libya? our national security contributor fran townsend is standing by. she'll join us next. tools, people making stuff. companies have to invest in making things. infrastructure, construction, production. we need it now more than ever. chevron's putting more than $8 billion dollars back in the u.s. economy this year. in pipes, cement, steel, jobs, energy. we need to get the wheels turning. i'm p. making real things... for real. ...that make a real difference.

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all right. these are live pictures you're

seeing from cairo right now. police are clashing with protesters. molotov cocktails, we understand, have been thrown. teargas being used by the police. rubber bullets as well. this is a very, very tense situation. it's now approaching 11:30 p.m. on the streets of cairo right now. remember, this is only, what, 300 yards or so from the united states embassy in cairo. it's a very, very tense situation. i want to talk about what's going on with our national security contributor fran townsend, homeland security advisor to president bush and serves on the cia and homeland security external advisory boards. fran, thanks very much for coming in. how concerned is the intelligence community right now about what's going on? >> you know, wolf, i think earlier in the day we saw worldwide anti-sort of u.s. protests, but they were reasonably peaceful. look, there are exceptions to this. we've seen the exceptions in tunisia. and this has gotten increasingly violent in egypt as the night

wears on. i think u.s. officials from people i've been talking to expected them all to look like this. so there was a little bit of relief at least by this afternoon that the violence seemed to be limited to just a couple of places. >> although it seems to be escalating in cairo. >> right. >> as we speak right now. here's a question. the u.s. embassy in cairo got a cable from the intelligence community about 48 hours before the protests saying beef up security because of this film, this anti-muslim film. and they sent a memo saying get ready, maybe there could be some violence. so here's the question, why wasn't a similar warning sent to the u.s. consulate in benghazi, libya, where the ambassador, the u.s. ambassador to libya and three other americans were killed? >> okay. first, we believe that the reason it was sent to the embassy in cairo is because although this movie had been on youtube and on the internet, an egyptian tv station actually aired part of it and brought attention to it. and so they were starting the

intelligence community presumably was starting to see attention in egypt drawn to this offensive film. and so it's understandable that they sent it to egypt. the intelligence community wouldn't have known about the ambassador chris stevens travel from tripoli to benghazi and didn't have the same reason to think that trouble would have erupted at that consulate. now, they may have later decided to distribute it more widely throughout the muslim world. but at the moment when they sent that their attention was drawn to egypt because of the egyptian tv. >> the fact is those egyptian television stations are widely seen not only in egypt but around the arab world. >> absolutely. >> they've got a big audience outside of egypt. >> sure. >> this is one of those extreme muslim stations that was doing it whipping up the fervor, if you will. senator john mccain was a ranking member of the senate armed services committee, as you well know. he's firm in insisting this was a pre-planned coordinated attack on the u.s. consulate in

benghazi. what are you hearing? >> you know, wolf, this is one of these typical in washington where i think everybody may be a little bit right. i've heard in talking to folks here in washington and by the way libyans because i was just in libya on a business trip for my company that there was a protest, it was in response to the film. that was spontaneous. but when you look at the amount of time that goes by and knowing there was this extremist, very well-armed group in the area, it mayery well be that they were looking for an opportunity to plan an attack. and when they saw this protest erupt, they saw the opportunity they needed to infiltrate that and take control of it and execute an attack. i have not heard anybody say that the group had any idea the ambassador was in there. it may have been a fortuitous event and tragic for the ambassador and the united states, but fortuitous for the group that happened to have been there. >> for the terrorists.

what do we know about the way those two navy seals who died were killed? >> secretary clinton when she issued her formal statement talked about security role they play. wolf, i think most americans don't fully appreciate many ex-military provide security services to the state department so they can actually be in very dangerous places and try to turn them around, work with the locals. that's the case of these two former navy seals. and, you know, what we ought to be asking, and to educate our viewers is, what is the role they play snd what i the role ealenn doherty's sister say he was an american and i su details in the broader mission they play, i think they were heroes. >> i think they were all heroes. senators lieberman and collins and a ranking member of the homeland security committee have just issued a statement. they've written a letter to the state department inspector general asking for a full investigation on what happened. they've got a whole bunch of

specific very detailed questions that they want answered. i think that's a good idea. >> yep. >> thanks very much. we're learning more also about the man behind that video that sparked those protests. that's coming up in our next hour. great shot. how did the nba become the hottest league on the planet? by building on the cisco intelligent network they're able to serve up live video, and instant replays, creating fans from berlin to beijing. what can we help you build? nice shot kid. the nba around the world built by the only company that could. cisco. wthe future of our medicare andr electiosocial security. for... man 1: i want facts. straight talk. tell me your plan... and what it means for me. woman 2: i'm tired of the negative ads and political spin. that won't help me decide. man 2: i earned my medicare and social security. and i deserve some answers. anncr: where do the candidates stand on issues that...

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two major public universities in the united states were the targets of bomb threats today. lisa sylvester's following that. what happened? >> both campuses have been given the all-clear.

university of texas at austin canceled classes and evacuated campus buildings this morning because of a threat. another bomb threat was reported at north dakota state university. federal authorities and bomb squads swept both campuses and found no danger. guatemala's famous volcano erupted. the volume of ash has gone down today, but they're asking residents to stay on heightened alert. this was the strongest volcanic eruption this year. and a new scandal is exposing british royalty. a french magazine has published pictures of the kate middleton topless. the magazine says they were taken while she and prince william were on vacation at a private house in france. the duchess of cambridge is obviously upset. lawyers are threatening to sue. they're on a good will tour through asia. i think clearly an invasion of privacy. she's on vacation.

it's a private home. so we'll see what happens. >> paparazzi. >> yeah. >> that's what they do. >> yeah, wolf. >> thanks very much. so did the united states have early warning that terrorists were plotting a deadly attack in libya? cnn's candy crowley asked the house minority leader, nancy pelosi, about that. her answer straight ahead. i even wrote a play about that. my symptoms were a pain in my abdomen and periods that were heavier and longer than usual for me. if you have symptoms that last two weeks or longer, be brave, go to the doctor. ovarian and uterine cancers are gynecologic cancers. symptoms are not the same for everyone. i got sick...and then i got better. there's natural gas under my town. it's a game changer. ♪ it means cleaner, cheaper american-made energy. but we've got to be careful how we get it. design the wells to be safe. thousands of jobs.

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there's deep suspicion that the deadly attack on the u.s. consulate in libya was not spontaneous but was planned in advance. our chief political correspondent and state of the union anchor, candy crowley, is joining us right now. candy, you had a chance to speak with the top democrat in the house, nancy pelosi, what does she say? >> count her in the column of

those who believe very strongly that this was a planned attack which used these protests as a cover. take a listen. >> you have a well-planned terrorist -- what looks like, now, we don't know, we have to get more information. but it looks like while we have the natural protests people have over one thing or another, hijacking that enthusiasm a well-planned probably terrorist plot. but we have to find that out. >> at the moment this looked as though there were protests that came from sort of an internet fueled look at this movie trailer thing. but inside that that that movement was used by people who were planning a terrorist plot against the ambassador to libya. >> i agree with that. >> and that's -- >> or against american interest, whether the ambassador was there or not. >> and did we have early warning of that? >> i don't know that. and i don't think we did. >> you do believe it was a terrorist plot using unrest on the street? >> well, we have to find out the facts, but that is what it

appears to be. >> wolf, she is one of those been privy to some of the information that the u.s. has, but what she says is they obviously need more. i asked her about security around the embassy particularly in cairo, obviously. this was a different situation in benghazi. but i asked her if she thought for 9/11 that the embassies were -- throughout the middle ea east, were protected enough and she said of course. >> because all of these attacks originated on the eleventh anniversary of 9/11. you'd think given the history they would beef up security majorly on that specific day. >> right. the question is specifically on that day did they think about that. she would just say of course there was now have security. >> you got into some other subjects with her as well including politics. what did she say about the democrats could win majority of

seats and she would be majority and not minority. >> she's very bullish. this is against all conventional wisdom that certainly democrats will make gains but will not take back majority status. she is very bullish that in fact they will. and i will tell you just as a tease because that's what we do in this business, that she also gave me the exact date on which she became convinced that democrats are going to take back the majority. >> you mean i have to stay up sunday morning 9:00 a.m. watch the interview and i'll get the answer to that question? >> yes, indeed. >> "state of the union" just to be sure for viewers, 9:00 a.m. every sunday morning candy is there. full interview with the house democrat leader nancy pelosi. thanks, candy. tyrone woods became a u.s. navy seal after his mother suggested he join the military. a father to two teenage boys, he became a new dad again just a few months ago. on tuesday he was killed in libya along with ambassador chris stevens and two other americans. we're taking a closer look at their lives and their legacy.

that's coming up right here in "the situation room." ♪ [ horn honks ]

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president obama's vowing to bring to justice the killers of the united states ambassador chris stevens and three other americans in libya. one of those killed was former navy seal tyrone woods. lisa sylvester has more on him and his colleagues who gave their lives for our country. lisa. >> all right, wolf. well, tyrone woods, he is the final victim to be identified. the 41-year-old is a father of three who spent two decades as a navy seal. like the other victims, there was a driving force within him to serve his country.

♪ >> reporter: we talk about the best and the brightest, and they really were. >> today we bring home four americans who gave their lives for our country and our values. >> reporter: 41-year-old tyrone woods grew up in oregon. his friends called him rone. he was a father to two teenage boys, tyrone jr. and hunter. three months ago he became a new dad again to a baby boy. woods was a former seal who died helping protect the ambassador and others. sheryl kroft bennett now prepares to do what no mother should have to do, receive the remains of their child. >> i'm sure he went down fighting. i'm sure he did. i hope his last moments weren't painful. >> reporter: she's a registered nurse and certified paramedic. in the woods of secretary clinton, he had the hands of a healer as well as the arm of a wor yor. like woods, glenn doherty was a former seal recently worked on

an nbc reality show. his friends called him bub. miles from home woods and doherty died along with smith. this is chris stevens stepbrother. >> it's tragic and deeply saddening. it also makes us aware of the kind of role that people like chris, over the years, are playing unsung. but the critical role that they play. >> that includes computer expert sean smith who was online when the attack began. >> they loved this country, and they chose to serve it and serve it well. they had a mission that they believed in. they knew the danger, and they accepted it. they didn't simply embrace the american ideal, they lived it.

>> reporter: all four died while on duty for their country, on patriot day, 9/11/2012. and the bodies will be taken for full autopsies. the families will then receive the remains and can move forward with burial arrangements. >> our deepest condolences to their family and friends. with the spark cash card from capital one, olaf's pizza palace gets the most wards of any small business credit card! pizza!!!!!

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. here is a look at this hour's hot shots. people use their legs to help propel them through the water. in north korea, a famous performer performs.

and a volcano is erupting, and at the white house, president obama greets olympic athletes in a ceremony to on nor the u.s. politic and paralympic teams. remember mitt and ann romney's embrace at the national convention? how about president obama's bear hug with a pizza restaurant owner. let's go to john berman? new york who has more. >> the conventions are behind us and the candidates are back out on the campaign trail. one thing you might notice is that this campaign has become pretty physical, like touchy physical. and we were wondering why. >> so what are the rules when it comes to hugging, kissing, and squeezing. pda.

for normal people, in "casa "casablanca" says this. a kiss is never just a kiss, a hug never just a hug, and whatever this is, never just that. in campaign season, pda means something different, political display of affection, and we have seen a lot of it lately. there was the kiss between mitt and ann romney. it ranks somewhere south of the makeout session for al gore, but north of the pecks between will and kate. about as hot as the obama cam kiss cam smooch pl and the sturdy manly embrace between

bill clinton and obama. all of these moments are nice and endearing, but also completely political. the romney kiss, after the ann romney speech, helps humanize the sometimes robotic mitt romney. democrats hope the man hug between presidents 42 and 44 will keep voters from 86ing the administration. and the power lift, the obama camp hope it's will lend some blue collar appeal to his campaign. not all political affection ends well. just ask charlie crist. a hug with president obama cost him his career. >> that hug doesed me more grief than you can ever imagine.

>> so what are the rules? "glamour" magazine says some regular rules. not in front of kids, not where people are eating, okay in a club or a taxi. about the only rule for political affection, remember, there are cameras. and it will last forever. and as for sam in "casablanca." he was wrong. >> reporter: in terms of physical politics, you might remember the state of the union addresses where members of congress rush to hand, kiss, or hug the president as he walks down the aisle. at the same time, many don't want a sitting president to come campaign for them because they don't want the picture of the two of them hugging, shaking

hands, or standing side by side. so physical politics, it counts. john berman, thank you. happening now, americans under siege in the muslim world. honor and grief, the bodies of the four americans killed in the libya attack come home, and foreign policy now headlines the presidential campaign. i'm wolf blitzer, and you're in the situation room. >> this is cnn breaking news. >> we have breaking news we're following, disturbing new violence as anti-american protests spread on the muslim holy day. chris lawrence is working the story for us. >> we just confirmed with sources here that two u.s. marines have been killed.

three to four other u.s. service members have been wounded in this attack. it happens when they stormed the camp bastion joint base with the u.s. and the british. sources tell us they had rpgs, small arms, and it was a sustained attack where a plane or several planes may also have been damaged as well. now a spokesman for isaf, the force that controls the war in afghanistan, is telling us now there were no organized demonstrations outside of the base proceeding this attack. and he also tells us that the british, prince harry, stationed at that base was in no doanger r close to this attack. >> we're also getting word that there was a breech at a base in sinai where hundreds of u.s.

soldiers are based. what are you hearing about that? >> a slightly different tone. they describe that attack on kamp b-- camp bastion, they say the attack in sinai did not last very long. there was a tower and some vehicling burned, and wounded soldiers as well. i'm told they were from columbia, no u.s. troops were injured in that attack. it is disconcerting though when you consider that peace keeping force, in which hundreds of american soldiers and service members are a part of, is really the buffer between egypt and israel. and they patrol air, land, and sea to make sure no incidents arise that would affect the peace treaty between the

nations. i was told that peace keeping force is not set up to be a strike force. they're always concerned about attacks on that base, but they say at this point, the way the egyptian security forces have responded, they do not need more enforcement. >> chris, thanks very much. elsewhere, mobs during buildings, cars, and american flags. my sources tell me u.s. officials are very concerned about the escalating violence and rage that for now shows no signs of letting up. u.s. embassies are also under siege. anti-american violence has spread to at least a doszen countries. brian todd, bring us up to speed. >> we had at least sixth embassies targeted this week. in tunisia and sedan, at least

five people were killed. since that film about thehammed week. we have been embracing for a day like this. the kind of escalation u.s. officials feared. more american embassies attacked in the tunisian capital, they breached the perimeter. >> i see them throwing things at the police. they managed to get on the roof of the embassy at some point. they started -- there is a heavy, heavy black smoke coming. >> even after the compound was resecured, black smoke still

bi billowed. this was the scene? sudan with people smashing windows and setting fires there. combined with cairo and benghazi earlier in the week, that's at least sixth embassies attacked. u.s. officials said this. >> we're working with governments around the region to remind them of their responsibilities to provide security to diplomatic personnel and facilities, and we're ensuring more resources are put in place to perotect our personnel. >> in cairo, there does seem to be more security in place near the american embassy. but inaddion, there we ied throughout the muslim

worl ingaza, an american flag burned. street cs with poce. in afghanistan, psident obama push -- with it so widpread, i asked phillip mud why u.s. als ciuld not have beefed up their own security at those compounds even more. the's only so much question do. we're in sovereign territory. you will not have marines on th streets, weon't allow libyan rines on the streets of the u.s. >> he says that can add a few more marines, they have to stay in the compounds. even an outer layer of an embassy is breaches, that is not a break down. there are hardenned areas where

the marines will establish a tight perimeter. they will have to rely on the security services of the host country. >> which of these countries have the security services that the u.s. can really count ? >> phillip mudd said tunisia and egypt will be more reliable. they have a track record and stability, but libya would not be. they're security services were decimated by the self-war even before then and after gadhafi was killed. >> back here in the united states, it was a very, very somber day, kate, pick up the story, it was hard to fight back tears. >> yes, flags are flown at half-staff throughout the country. they were the first victims killed inside the attack on the u.s. embassy in libya. today their bodies arrived in the u.s. in an emotional

ceremony attended byresident obama and hiary clinton. we have deails onthis, dan, as wolf and i a very tough d r da. >> yes, it was a tough day, and what you hrd from u.s. official sociasecurity that they were talking about the people behind the names. one thing they all id the president is they believedn the mission,hey knew the risk, and th accepted it. americans rembered the pa of 9/11, another somber moment. a transfer of ns ceremony at joint base andrews as the bodies of four americans killed inliby came home. >> four americans, four patriots. they loved this country. they chose to serve it and they served it well. they had a mission, and they

believed in them. they knew the danger, and they accepted it. they didn't simply embrace the american ideal, they lived it. they embodiyed it. >> they are 52-year-old ambassador chris stevens who played a key roll in libya. 41-year-old tyrone woods, a former navy seal, father of three boys, and 42-year-old glen doherty, and sean smith, a husband and father of two. >> we have seen rage and violence directed at american embassies over an awful internet video that we had nothing to do with. it is hard for the american people to make sense of that because it is senseless. and it is totally unacceptable.

>> as the administration faces tough questions about support for the arab spring, and the status of u.s. relations with countries like egypt, president obama reaffirmed it's commitment to the region. >> america is a friend, we care not just about our own country and interests, but about theirs. even as voices of suspicion and mistrust seek to divide countries and cultures from one another, the united states of america will never retreat from the world. >> now president obama and secretary clinton said that leaders in the region need to restore security and hold those responsible accountable. and the obama administration vowing to continue to take steps to protect u.s. personnel around the world. >> ben lothian, thank you so much. family members of the fallen men were at that ceremony today, and we can't say enough how much our

hearts go out to them. >> yes, absolutely. we're also learning more about what happened that night when those four american heros were murdered, arwa david has more right now in benghazi and she is standing by to join us live. i'm an expert on softball. and tea parties.

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these are live pictures coming in from tehrar square. you see the tier gas, there have been rubble bullets, and it's an intense situation unfolding on the streets of cairo. this is a few yards from the u.s. embassy. it's one of the largest u.s. embassies in the world. police have surrounded that embassy to try to provide protection. the anti-american violence is spreading, outrage over a crude video sparking a riot in egypt

and in benghazi, libya. arwa david is joining us now. she has gotten into a very dangerous situation. arwa, you got in to see that burnt out building, describe what you saw? >> it was chilling to be walking through the burnt out buildings. it was burnt out, ash covering some of the belongings that were scattered behind, and it was looted because there was not much security around it. some pieces of paper, notes that seem to have been taken, one of those large sheets of paper has sprawled across it libya is so important, and standing there thinking about what must have

transpired, especially in the final moments really makes the hair on your arms stand on end. while we were there, we also ran into libya's president who was telling us that while they do have four individuals in custody, part of an extremist group it's believed, the government at in time does not have the capabilities to reign in the militias. >> how are they telling you about how the attack actually went down? >> we spoke to one security guard, and according to him and a number of other eyewitnesss as well, the first line of defense is libyan security guards, but they don't have weapons, only radios. this security guard was at his post when he heard chanting getting louder and louder. and then he heard grenades and

then chaos. he said shortly after they stormed inside, masked men, they threatenned him at gunpoint, threatening to kill him because he was "protecting the infidels." one of the attackers came in and intervened and the security guard was able to get away. we're also getting disturbing details about what happened hours afterwards. there is a unit called the february 17th brigade. they were the only unit that responded from the libyans when they received information that this attack was taking place. they helped evacuate the personnel to what was supposed to be a safe house. but that safe house was also attacked in the early hours of the morning according to one of the spokespeople. a unit of security personnel arrived at the benghazi airport around daybreak, but no

vehicles, no one to protect them, and the unit managed to rally protection around them. as they arrived to the safe house, they got an intense but brief attack. many questions being asked if there was an informant, someone that would have told the attackers about the second, and what was supposed to be secure, location. >> what is the latest on the investigation? >> we know as i was saying that four individuals we arrested. the government is not disclosing at this time which group they're being linked to, and the libyan government firmly believes this attack was preplanned, and that it was intended to create maximum damage, ximum destruction. the motive behind it, according to the libyan government, to drive a wedge between the libyans and the americans. what is especially disturbing is

that the libyan government cannot guarantee this is not going to happen again. plus, a lot of lib kwans we had been talking to, not necessarily part of the government, but very close to government officials, are being very critical saying that the government really is not going after these people, not following these leads strongly enough. libya's leadership is not coming here and really pushing this investigation and bringing these individuals to justice. >> arw aa damon, be careful, it looks like it's escalating. >> yes, we're watching that developing situation, and coming up next, what can the u.s. do about the spreading anti-american violence over seas? [ horn honks ]

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. we have new information coming in about military movements in wake of the middle east violence. let's get street to barbara star for more details on this. >> cnn learned that a team of marine corp anti-terrorism specialist are heading to sudan. you see violence breaking out. now about 50 u.s. marines headed to the embassy to reinforce current there. the wall breached today as protesters assaulted that embassy and the german embassy. this is the third time this week they're deploying around the world. they have done to libya, yemen, and u.s. embassies there have

come under attack. we now have about 150 marines this week, deployed particularly for u.s. embassy security. >> third time just this week. barbara star at the pentagon, thank you. we're watching these live pictures coming in from cairo right now, it's clearly case lating the violence. let's get an assessment of what's going on. on these live pictures, we're seeing this is only a few hundred yards from the united states embassy, there doesn't seem to be any end. it's going on and it seems to be case lating over the past few hours. >> you know, wolf, these things would be endless. and when you look at lebanon and the city of tripoli, when they attack kentucky fried chicken, it tells you there is lots of

people unemployed, angry at their own government, and the scapegoating is a middle earn practice. >> i was in tunis, and i was there with hillary clinton, it was peaceful, everyone was so friendly, and they storm the u.s. embassy there, they apparently went into an american school in tunis. this is where the arab spring started fouad, but it didn't look to be a spring, it looks like an arab winter. >> that's right, i also think there was the debris of all of this dictatorship in place, decades of repression and alienation, and decades of us suspension on the part of the people. and allow me one reflection on

embassies. i grew up in beirut, and they are fortresses, they symbolize treatment, you go there for a visa, and they give a sense of power. it is the presence of america in these lands. america is really under the skin of these people. they hate america, they love america, and i think there is a temper in the region is one of tremendous, tremendous upheaval. >> and these uprising may have some people thinking was the arab spring a good thing in the end for american interests overseas. what do you think the united states should do to stop this violence? >> kate, i have been somewhat optimistic about the arab

spring. we're just reliving the or deal and the pain of 9/11. and these were young saudis and egyptians that came our way. i think the hope was to allow young people, and people responsible for order neither arab world, to take responsibility for their own destiny. >> i can't tell you, fouad, over the last few days how many people have asked me this question. maybe you have a good answer because you know the region as good as anyone. they ask why do these people hate america after all that the u.s. has done to help. why do some of them hate america so much? >> it's a pathology. i have written and thought about

anti-americanism for years. it's a pathology. when you look at what america did for the american people, it was an american gift, and you look at what hatched in benghazi, and you have the pain, and you can understand why americans feel there is no gratitude in that region, guess who is a happy man watching all of this? he looks and says there is no way the persons are going to come to the rescue of the rebellion, because they will draw the conclusion that this region is ungrateful, ungover r ungovernable, and doomed. >> thank you so much. >> coming up, sharp disagreement over whether the assault on the u.s. consulate in benghazi was your head?

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>> in the beginning we feel it was spontaneous, the protests, because it went on for two or three hours which is very relevant. if it was something planning, then they could have come and attacked right away. >> they were a well planned and professional terrorist act against the u.s. counsel in benghazi. >> let's dig deeper and talk about that with general wesley clark, and paul, the former president of the world bank, and now a sclor at the american enterprise institute. generally, was it preplanned or a very sophisticated order cased terror attack? >> you know, it's hard to say because i don't have access to the intelligence to prove that it was preplanned, but it seems odd they had rpgs available. there were mortars brought into

play. if it wasn't preplanned, if it was spon tanou-- spontaneous, te pretty good. >> they did not come to just yell and scream, they came with weapons. and you have to put it in context with what's happen happening in the last month, and it's important for americans to understand they're attacks not only on americans, but on the great majority of libians that rejected them back in july. they barely play in the brotherhood -- a lot of guns were supplied in the fighting against gadhafi, they were not brought under control, and last month they went to a mosque in

tripoli. i think it's very different than cairo, for example. >> general clark, even though they say they didn't have any actionable intelligence that this intelligence was coming, shouldn't they have done more to secure that region? it was the anniversary of 9/11. shouldn't there have been more security around the embassies and consulates? >> it's easy to say that after something like this happens. unless you're in there and you see the information that went back and forth, or you know the ongoing security status, it's hard to make that call. i have difficulty finding fault. i know this about our state department security people, they're good, they're tough, on

the ball, the marines there are first rate. we have private security there, apparently a couple of seals, former seals were in on the action, so this was a tough fight. i don't know what the intelligence is going to say afterwards, but to protect the consulate against assault and rpgs, you have to deploy force there. >> this is what i don't understand is there were apparently some warnings out there. this is the 11th anniversary of 9/11. we know that al qaeda inspiring revenge on that specific day. there's going to be a full-scale investigation, the chairman and ranking member of the senate of homeland security committee asked for a full-scale investigation along the lines of the 9/11 commission, see if it develops like that, but was someone -- was this a case of the left hand of the u.s. government not coordinating or

consulting with the right hand of the u.s. government? >> wolf, i'm sorry to say it, but at this point it's pure speculation. we have no idea what was going on, and there was responsible institutions, particularly in congress -- >> let me interrupt. >> can i say something? >> the in fact it occurred on 9/11, what does that say to you, was that a coincidence? >> i think that's a very important fact. not only did it occur on 9/11, but things like the black flag that was displayed at the embassy in cairo as all of the earmarks of something instigated by al qaeda. and there were public declarations, i believe, that there would be revenge for the death of a close society and libyan. i think there is a lot of reason to think this was a message from al-qaeda that says you think you

did something great by killing bin laden, but we're still around and we'll make your lives hell. i think this is not to do with an obscure video. >> i want to show you an interview of the president o telemundo, listen to this. >> i don't think that we would consider them an alley, but we don't consider them an enemy. general charge, first to you, what do you make of this? was this a misstep by president obama here? >> he meant they were partners. they're not an ally in the sense of a nato ally, there is no mutual defense treaty, but we consider them legally because they got u.s. military assistance and legal assistance, we continue them a nonnato ally.

>> and there are what, about a dozen or 15 countries with that status, major non-nato allies, and egypt apparently still has that even though they have a new leader. i want you to listen to what paul ryan, the vice presidential nominee said today here in washington. >> amidall of these threats and dangers, what we do not see is steady, consistent american leadership. in the days ahead and in the areas ahead. american foreign policy needs moral clarity and firmness of purpose. >> general clark, other advisors to the romney campaign for mitt romney and rich williamson says that they basically have in part themselves to blame for showing weakness that part of the world,

what do you say? >> i don't see that. the phrase that congressman ryan used was the same phrase that general haage used. they're used in many foreign policy addresses. the fact is that the obama administration has been tough, consistent, struck hard at terrorism, got rid of osama bin laden, and have been really tough with the pakistani government. what you're seeing in egypt and yemen and elsewhere are efforts by the extremist to overthrow or undercut government that's are trying to change their government. they would love to come back and see the moderately seems government and isolate them further. >> paul wolfowitz, do you want to respond? >> yes, if you look at libya,

for example, where we led from behind and we led qatar, that is one of the problems the libian people are coping with now. and they would like, i believe, stronger support from the united states. when the president was asked about egypt, i wish he said they are not behaving like an ally, i expect the president to do something about embassy security and to condemn these attacks, which as of that point he had not, and most of all, i think we should stop apologizing for an obscure movie that i doubt many people, including the protesters have seen, and said that we made it very clear that we're not anti-muslim. we put our men and women in harms way many times going back

to somalia and others, and we have protected innocent muslims from muslim and nonmuslim aggression. i think if you apologize too much, people think you must be guilty. i don't think we're guilty and that's not the approach to take. >> i haven't heard a lot of apologies, and we have to leave it there, but i heard the secretary of state make it clear that they had nothing to do with that anti-muslim film, we can continue to conversation down the road. thank you both for coming in. >> still to come, a criminal record and more than a dozen aliases, what we're learning more about the man whose anti-muslim film is fuelling so much outrage as you can see. [ male announcer ] what if you had thermal night-vision goggles,

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mitt romney and barack obama may not agree on much, that's for sure, but listen to what mitt romney told kelly pippa during a taping today. >> governor, there is so many differences in the political parties, obviously, but what are some things that you and president obama agree upon? >> well, we agreed upon him taking out osama bin laden, i'm sure glad he did that. and i think we agree on the importance of family, i think he is a fine husband and father, and i think the role model for our nation of being a good father is a very good thing. i appreciate that. we're concerned about schools and health care, and i think the budget we go about these things in different ways, we have different approaches to those things. >> so the biggest pet peeve was asked on the show as well, what

the biggest pet peeve was between mitt romney and ann romney, and mitt said she does not squeeze the toothpaste like he would like. as violence spreads across the muslim world, we're joined tonight by a former u.s. ambassador that worked for president obama. erin, who are you talking to tonight? >> we're going to be talking to john huntsman, and some chilling words that he has to say about american embassies and consulates around the world and their preparedness for what we're seeing happen across the world today. and also, a profile, we heard a lot of chris stevens and his selfless dedication to serving in libya, what about the other

three men that died, their families, two were exseals, one was an avid gamer, and breaking news out of afghanistan with the developing story with the killing of two u.s. marines, all of that at the top of the our, back to you. >> thank you, meanwhile, new details and a growing mystery whob is the man behind that anti-muslim film. when what you just bought, just broke. or when you have a little trouble a long way from home... as an american express cardmember you can expect some help. but what you might not expect, is you can get all this with a prepaid card. spends like cash. feels like membership.

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mitt romney seemed to be covering all the bases. once today, they got tougher , d but romney also showed a much softer side. jim acosta has the story. >> aides to mitt romney say he watched the bodys of those slain diplomats arrive on television

here in ohio before going out to a rally here to pay tribute to them. it was a moment that stood out in a day marked by both tough and light hearted talk. at a rally in ohio, mitt romney set aside his attacks on president obama's foreign policy to remember the u.s. ambassador and three americans who lost their lives in libya. >> and i'd ask that you might each place your hand over your heart in recognition of the bloodshed for freedom, by them and our other sons and daughters who have lost their lives in the cause of america and the cause of liberty and if we'll take a moment of silence together. >> it was only a brief pause in his campaign's sharpened rhetoric. earlier, paul ryan suggested the president was showing a weakness on the world stage that invited the attacks. >> they were extremists who operate by violence and intimidation an the least equivocation or mixed signal only makes them bolder. >> a senior campaign adviser

claimed the violence would have been prevented under a president romney. saying he would have been more engaged in the arab spring. >> so, we would be partners in this evolution, not running behind and seen as part of that. i think that changes the dynamic, so yes, there would be a difference. >> at a new york fund-raiser, romney slammed the p president for not planning to meet with benjamin netanyahu next week. romney said it sends a message not just to israel, but throughout the middle east and in some respects, it's a confusing message. ♪ the rhetorical jabs came as the president paid tribute to the slain diplomats as their bodies arrived at andrews air force base. romney and his wife took time to make some light hearted comments to kelly ripa. romney weighed in on jersey shore saying i'm kind of a snooki fan. look how tiny she's gotten.

she's lost weight. she's energetic. just her spark pl personality is kind of fun. ann romney talkedbo how s once walked in on president bush getting a white houscht when asked what he wears to bed, quote, as little as possible. the romney signalling is only the beginning and comes as several polls show romney falling behind in key swing states like ohio. as one romney adviser told me this week, t a good thing elections aren't held right after the convention. >> thanks very much. still ahead, more of the emotional ceremony as the bodies of the men who died in that u.s. consulate attack make their final journey home. ♪ woman 1: this isn't just another election. we're voting for...

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it's the most somber duty befalling a president. receiving the bodies of american killed overseas. president obama carried out the grim task today along with secretary of state hillary clinton as the remains of the four men were repateuated. ♪ >> we welcome home for the final time ambassador chris stevens, mr. sean smith, mr. glen doherty and mr. tyrone woods. >> we've seen the heavy assault on our post in benghazi that

took the lives of those brave men. we've seen rage and violence directed at american embassies over an awful internet video that we had nothing to do with. it is hard for the american people to make sense of that because it is senseless. and it is totally unacceptable. the people of egypt, libya, yemen and tunisia did not trade the tyranny of a dictator for the tyranny of a mob. >> think of a man in benghazi with a sign in english, a message he wanted all of us to hear. it said chris stevens was a friend to all libyans. chris stevens was a friend. that's the message these four patriots sent.

that's the message that each of you sends every day. civilians, military, to people in every corner of the world. that america is a friend, that we care not just about our own country, our own interests, but about theirs. that even as voices of suspicious and mistrust seek to divide countries and cultures from one another, the united states of america will never retreat from the world. ♪ ♪